In a rather surprising turn of events, IPL 2018 franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could name Australia cricketer Chris Lynn as their next captain after Gautam Gambhir’s sudden exit earlier this year. The 27-year-old’s candidacy was confirmed by the KKR coach and former South Africa legend Jacques Kallis earlier this week.

Chris Lynn has never captained any T20 side but has always been the key figure for his national and domestic teams. Australia and Brisbane Heat rely on Lynn’s explosive start at the top which often ends up deciding the game for them.

Chris Lynn ready to lead KKR in IPL 2018

Chris Lynn spoke with Cricket Australia about the opportunity to captain Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2018 season and said, “I’d love to, I’d jump at the opportunity.”

“I’m still learning the game over there but if given the nod then I’d jump at the chance.”

Despite coming off as the favorite to lead KKR this year, Chris Lynn will have strong competition from Robin Uthappa to be named as the next captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Chris Lynn was one of the few star players KKR were able to retain from last year after Gambhir decided to leave the club and Manish Pandey was priced out of the deal by the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

With IPL 2018 just few weeks away, KKR’s management team are taking a huge risk by delaying their decision to name the next captain as the players are also anxious to know who will be leading their side.

Naming the captain beforehand gives the team, its players and more importantly the captain himself the complete clarity and control over his side. He can start framing the team combination and which players will be his mainstays in the competition.

Be it Chris Lynn or Robin Uthappa or someone else, Kolkata Knight Riders need to end their captaincy debacle and should announce their next leader at the earliest.